1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a broadcast receiving apparatus, and particularly, relates to a broadcast receiving apparatus which provides a user with an effective program search.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a broadcast receiving apparatus, for example, a portable telephone in which a TV tuner is incorporated has been known (e.g., JP-A-2002-9920). In addition, in terrestrial digital broadcasting or satellite digital broadcasting, mainly, broadcasting using a transmission band of 1 or 3 segments is scheduled to be performed for a small size receiver having high portability.
Generally speaking, when a user watches/listens a program of TV, a radio, etc., a user performs an operation of searching a desired program to watch/listen by switching a channel one after another (what is called, performing a zapping) (hereinafter, arbitrarily referred to as “zapping”).
With regard to such a zapping operation, various technologies have been known from a viewpoint of improving an operability of a user.
For example, a technology has been known (see, JP-A-2001-237789), in which, when a viewer instructs zapping, a screen is switched to a zapping screen, and channels are automatically scanned sequentially at intervals of a predetermined period and an image of the channel, which is displayed on a display device, changes When a viewer finds a program to view during a period of a zapping operation and decides to select the program, the zapping operation stops, and an image of the selected program is displayed on the display device (automatic zapping function).
In the meantime, most commonly, the zapping operation is not an operation that a user performs positively, but is an operation which occurs on the occasion of repeating an operation of switching to other suitable program without much attention, since a user does not like a program which is viewed at the moment. Therefore, even if the above-mentioned automatic zapping function is provided, there is high possibility that this automatic zapping function is not actually utilized, since a channel selection can be performed at short time and effectively by an user's action to switch the channel so that a user's own will is reflected, rather than activating the automatic zapping function purposely.
However, even in case that a user personally switches the channel, a time required for the zapping operation and efficiency become different depending on whether or not a user knows what program is being broadcasted by another channel.